Newham Recorder [UK newspaper]: Putting Sister’s Plight in Frame

Each Saturday for many weeks, Stratford resident Bao-Sheng Zhu, 38, has joined friends for a candlelit vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in London.

They are protesting against what they claim is intolerance by the communist authorities over freedom of expression.

But for laundry worker Mr Zhu, [..], his time spent outside the embassy has greater poignancy- his sister is in Beijing jail, a victim, he claims, of the [..] regime.

Bao-Lin Zhu, 36, has served a quarter of a four-year sentence for being a member of the Falun Dafa movement, banned by the Chinese government.

The brother says the movement is spiritual and not religious or political. There are no temples and followers do not worship any god or idol. No money is involved. They have a moral code of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

But he claims practitioners have been tortured to death, thrown into labour camps and lost their jobs for their beliefs.

Now Mr Zhu is hoping to bring pressure from the British Government over the plight of his sister and fellow followers.

On Thursday he opened an exhibition of related pictures at Stratford Library in The Grove to raise awareness.

Some of the images- both photographs and cut-outs from magazines- depict the alleged torture. [..]

“Our vigil is to put an end to the atrocities while the exhibition [until February 15] is to inform people more about the events of China and Falun Dafa,” aid Mr Zhu who has spent the last decade in Britain.

Of his sister- it was eight months before his family knew of her whereabouts and sentence- he said: “She is at peace with herself but I hope people can help us free her and others of suffering.”